ELKHART LAKE, Wis. — USF Professional 2000 Introduced by Continental Tire championship chief Max Garcia’s dominant streak was lastly damaged Sunday morning as VRD Racing’s Max Taylor broke by in a 3rd and thrilling closing race of the Elite Engines Grand Prix of Street America.
Taylor, from Hoboken, N.J., took the lead from Garcia following a restart and fought arduous to remain out in entrance earlier than securing his maiden USF Professional 2000 victory. He now turns into solely the second driver to win on each degree of the USF Professional Championships ladder.
Canadian Mac Clark capped a powerful weekend with three podium finishes by taking one other second for Unique Autosport, whereas Israeli Ariel Elkin drove one other wonderful race for TJ Pace Motorsports to finish the rostrum.
Garcia, from Coconut Grove, Fla., accomplished a weekend sweep of Continental Tire Pole Awards, this time on account of having posted the very best of every drivers’ second-fastest laps through the second qualifying session on Friday.
He duly maintained that place initially, regardless of the very best efforts of each Clark, who began second, and row two qualifier Taylor to benefit from the prodigious draft on the lengthy Street America straightaways.
It was the identical story following an early warning interval attributable to spectacular debutant Joseph Loake (Flip 3 Motorsport), from Macclesfield, England, grinding to a halt at Flip 14 following some contact which sheared his automobile’s rear wheel camber bolts.
A second restart following one other transient warning – when VRD Racing’s Frankie Mossman, from Newport Seashore, Calif., additionally suffered a mechanical downside – supplied a special story. This time, with six laps within the books, Clark, operating second, had an enormous run on Garcia, whereas Taylor had a good greater draft from third and was capable of out-brake Garcia across the outdoors line in Flip One to take over the lead. It was the primary time Garcia had been headed all weekend.
Taylor initially pulled out a slight lead, solely to be reeled once more by each Clark and Garcia, who had exchanged locations on Lap 9.
By Lap 12, all three leaders have been collectively – and Elkin, having recovered from an early skirmish in Flip One which noticed him drop from tenth nearly to the tail of the sector, was within the combine, too.
Garcia moved again forward of Clark after 12 laps, then made his transfer for the lead in Flip One, as soon as once more profiting from the draft. However Taylor, final 12 months’s USF Juniors champion, fought again, and following transient contact between them at Flip Six, Taylor was again right into a lead he would maintain to the end.
A visit throughout the grass relegated Garcia to fourth, whereupon his try to repass Elkin was firmly rebuffed. The rostrum end was particularly welcome for Elkin as he seeks the funding to finish his rookie season in USF Professional 2000.
Title contender Alessandro de Tullio, from Miami, Fla., capped a troublesome weekend for Flip 3 Motorsport by pocketing the Tilton Onerous Charger Award following a cost from sixteenth on the grid – a consequence of his automobile being marginally underweight after qualifying – to fifth forward of teammate and fellow Miami, Fla., resident Nicholas Monteiro.
Mexico’s George Garciarce drove by far his greatest race of the season for DEForce Racing, ending seventh, whereas privateer Logan Adams (Comet/NCMP Racing), from Greenfield, Ind., additionally shone within the early phases, rising from eleventh to fifth, earlier than a damaged entrance wing precipitated him to fall again down the order.
